Transparency International (TI) views the Anti-Bribery Convention of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a decisive step in the fight against corruption. The OECD Convention against Bribery is especially significant as it relates to those that offer bribes. Although many countries have already approved laws criminalising foreign bribery, there are still concerns about whether these laws are being sufficiently enforced to implement the Convention.

In 2004, TI implemented the Report Card exercise which monitors the implementation of the Convention from the perspective of civil society. This exercise is based on information gathered by the National Chapters of the 24 signatory countries to the Convention, including Argentina, Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The Chapters selected lawyers and other professionals as experts to respond to a questionnaire which sought information about cases and investigations of foreign bribery. The exercise analysed whether the countries had taken steps to promote compliance with the Convention and investigated the actual situation and possibilities for future legislation regarding foreign bribery.

The conclusions of the Progress Report were as follows:

• Laws which criminalise foreign bribery are being enforced in 15 of the 24 countries, including Canada, Mexico and the United States.
• Only four of the countries have witnessed more than one case of foreign bribery, and there has been no implementation in 9 countries, including Argentina.

Following the report, TI made the following recommendations:

• Improve access to law enforcement systems.
• Promote the perception that bribery of public officials is a crime.
• Establish a national office responsible for foreign bribery enforcement

Click on the links below for more information:

• See the complete Progress Report (pdf)
• A list of cases and investigations of foreign bribery (pdf)
• Questionnaire answered by the experts (pdf)
• Experts that answered the questionnaire (pdf)